Tom Brady steering clear of contract talk

Posted by Darin Gantt on February 27, 2013, 11:22 AM EST

Reuters

Since restructuring his deal this week to provide the Patriots with a lot of salary cap room and himself a pile of guaranteed cash, quarterback Tom Brady has become one of the league’s biggest talking points.

But he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Brady passed on a request for an interview with Boston’s WEEI radio (where he makes weekly paid appearances during the season), but sent an email to John Dennis of the Dennis & Callahan show.

“I really do just want to win, and that has and will continue to be the reason that motivates me and is the biggest factor in my decision-making process.”

Even though he’s sensitive to looking like a heel, Brady is actually enjoying the best of both worlds in this deal. Half (or more) of the football world is thanking him for taking less than he’s worth, turning him into some kind of martyr for the cause. The other half thinks he’s jamming future players by taking less than he possibly could (which is Bob Kraft’s last nickel), but that’s easily spun back into what a great teammate he is since he’s helping the Patriots add more talent. Both ways, he’s lining his pockets.

As with most things Brady, it’s almost hard to screw up, but he’s not going to risk that double-edged goodwill by talking.

30 responses to “Tom Brady steering clear of contract talk”

Try as hard as you will, Florio, but Brady will do what he has to do to win. The team isn’t going to ask him to make 30K a year, as you might want, but I bet he’d consider taking it for a better shot to win another title.

Well gee, Tom, you’re just such a considerate guy for not rubbing it in our faces about how much you make. I warms my heart to know that you’re merely playing for the love of the game and the owners are probably just forcing you to take all that money. I can see how that would make a humble guy like you uncomfortable talking about all those millions.

What I find interesting about this contract is that Brady seems to be thinking in terms of the next two years only. He makes an extra $3M for those two years and frees up cap space to make the team more competitive for those two years. Than he retires.

This is the sort of thing that separates Brady from the rest. This isn’t news to Patriots fans because he’s been doing it his entire career to keep this team in the hunt. At times when Peyton ManningManning and Drew Brees are handicapping their team for a big payday, Brady is taking less to keep his competitive. Love him or hate him, you can’t argue that this guy isn’t in it to win.

Not a Pat’s fan but this is just smart! Leaving money on the table enables teams to compete consistently year in and year out! Some players never get that it’s not all about them. See you in B-more again next season TB!

All the complainers and haters, all of you, would be doing back flips if your QB / team did this same thing, and would be lauding their greatness if on top of it, they released a quote like Brady’s email above. The only reason you guys have a problem with it, the only one, is that this is Tom Brady, Belichick, and the Patriots.

Eventually, you’re going to just have to accept that A) The Pats are contenders until this guy retires and B) Brady and Belichick are the best coach / QB combo of the Super Bowl era.

This websites feelings about Tom Brady and the Patriots have become more obvious then ever. From implying that Brady is getting paid under the table to acting like he didn’t take a pay cut at all to help the team surround him with talent the writers here clearly have an anti-Patriots bias.

Patriots fans (well for the most part) know how lucky we are to have Tom Brady as our quarterback. These are the good ol’ days mainly because of Brady.

Brady did leave some money on the table, but he got 30 mil guaranteed for the next 2 yrs and gets the next 27 mil guaranteed if he’s on the roster at the end of 2014, which he almost certainly will be. That’s about the same guaranteed money that Brees(60 mil) and Manning(58) got in their deals, and they were free agents, which is usually more expensive. So while he helped the team with cap space, he didn’t exactly take a beating. And that’s assuming they don’t tweak the deal after the 2nd yr.

Hater or not I do not see how you can fault Tom Brady for his decision to take less money and not want to talk about it. Anyone who reads this site daily follows the sport close enough to know this is nothing new to Brady.

As for PFT – they know what buttons to push. I think they like it when you tell them they are ganging up on a specific team. Florio is still the same smart@ss as he was when he was peddling hats and fantasy advice years ago. I am sure he has his team going after the topics he knows are going to get the chatter high here.

micknangold says:
Feb 27, 2013 11:56 AM
“I’d rather just talk about my hair products and how I don’t see my first son ever.” – Tom Brady

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You’re so quick to judge a man you don’t know. Such jealousy. Tom is a doting father – of ALL his children. His first son comes and spends time in NE during the season – if you read the Boston papers, they’re stories of the family activities. The media tracks them down whenever they go out to eat, or even go to a family indoor playground. There are pictures of him on the field with the 2 little boys during the season. His new house is in the same town as Bridget, not far away. Even Bridget says he’s a great dad. Watch his face when he talks about his children – it lights up like any proud, loving dad.

Your jealous of a man you don’t even know. It’s pathetic. Hate him because he’s not on your team, or you don’t like how he plays football, but, you have no right to comment on his love for his children. Very Sad.

Brady isn’t stupid. He plays the “oh poor me” card but is probably laughing all the way to the bank. Instead of “restructuring” your contract which is nothing more than rearranging when you get your money, why not simply take a pay cut? Not like you and your equally-rich wife could realistically spend what you have…

luckyarmpit says:
Feb 27, 2013 2:30 PM
Brady isn’t stupid. He plays the “oh poor me” card but is probably laughing all the way to the bank. Instead of “restructuring” your contract which is nothing more than rearranging when you get your money, why not simply take a pay cut? Not like you and your equally-rich wife could realistically spend what you have…

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Show me one example of him playing the “poor me card”.

Did you even read this or any other article about this contract re-negotiation?

I love how people stick to their opinions despite the facts. It shows an incredible amount of intelligence.

luckyarmpit says:
Feb 27, 2013 2:30 PM
Brady isn’t stupid. He plays the “oh poor me” card but is probably laughing all the way to the bank. Instead of “restructuring” your contract which is nothing more than rearranging when you get your money, why not simply take a pay cut? Not like you and your equally-rich wife could realistically spend what you have…

He did take a pay cut. He’s getting approx 15 mil a year for the next 5 years. That’s significantly less than the top-tier QB open market is going for. If he played out his contract and went to the open market in 2 years, I have no doubt he could have gotten 23 mil or more a year for a couple years, bar some crazy medical problem or sudden drop in skill.

I’m not saying he’s not raking the cash, he is. I’m not going to see a million in my entire career, probably, but compared to his peers, he’s definitely taking less than he could in order to get a better team around him to win.

There is a reason that the most expensive NFL ticket you can buy, anywhere, any time, is when Tom Brady and THE New England Patriots come to town. Hate them if you must. It only makes the game day experience that much more fun. BUT, when you glance down the schedule and see that name, you know it’s the game you want to see, even though deep down, you fear it.

Brady also renegotiated his contract seven years ago in order to help the Patriots’ salary cap, long before he even knew Giselle. What does how much money your wife makes have to do with YOUR salary? How many of YOU would accept the rationale that your boss isn’t going to give you a raise because your wife makes more money at her job than you do? Did Peyton Manning ever consider giving the Colts or the Broncos a break on his contract because of all the money he has made from playing football and doing commercials? TB12 Twitter says it all “Just win!”